


reaching out

by CosmeerSpots



Series: Wondrous Wanders [8]
Category: Hollow Knight (Video Games)
Genre: Angst, Dehumanization, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Wondrous Wanders AU, its exactly what u think it is but also not, just a tad bit though tbh, suicide ideation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-08
Updated: 2020-07-08
Packaged: 2021-03-05 05:28:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,708
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25149211
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CosmeerSpots/pseuds/CosmeerSpots
Summary: There’s always someone reaching out for it.And it wishes, even though it should not, that it could reach back in the way its heart desires.
Relationships: The Hollow Knight | Pure Vessel & Hornet, The Hollow Knight | Pure Vessel & The Knight
Series: Wondrous Wanders [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1681615
Comments: 20
Kudos: 103





	reaching out

They can _see_ the little one reach out.

That one is second to their first, from thousands of millions and soon to be none.

There’s things pulling at their own heart. Things like the Pale Light’s song that is slowly walking out of their horrifying prison filled with hurt and undescribable terrors. Things like the darkness that they've come from and that has tried to kill them countless times. Things like… emotions…? That they apparently shouldn’t have.

Later they would learn the names of those. Such as…

Compassion; sympathetic pity and concern for the sufferings or misfortunes of others. As dictionary explains.

What compassion means, is that they felt _a lot of something_ while they stared at the little palm of another. They aren’t supposed to do that. To _feel._ To feel at _all._ And to feel sadness for a weakling’s failure is…

Anger; a strong feeling of annoyance, displeasure, or hostility. As dictionary in the Archives whispers to them sweetly.

They know they've _felt_ it. They _know_ they did, but they have no idea who it was directed at. So they decide to ignore it, because some- _many-_ problems seem to resolve themselves by blind ignorance.

Fear; an unpleasant emotion caused by the threat of danger, pain, or harm. As dictionary mournfully murmurs.

Horror and terror gripped their heart, brain and rest of their insides, for sure, when they found themself torn between two things. And they wanted to choose the darkness, for a good while. To hug their sibling’s- _twin’s-_ wrist with their hand and tug them to safety, Light be damned. If the Light hates the prospect of them saving someone so dear, then the Light is most likely wrong. But the _fear_ gripped their neck and started to choke them and made them freeze and made them follow the white. They learn too late what it means and _how_ to overcome one’s fears.

Love; an intense feeling of deep affection. As dictionary they hold tells them. Love is something that they can’t help feeling, they've found quite early on.

They felt it for the siblings slain by night. They've felt it- _so intensely it hurt so much, it pained them, love_ **_hurts-_ ** when the little thing reached out for them with a scream filled with pleads that the Light could not hear. They feel it for their Father when He looks over His kingdom or when He reads a book about something incredibly simple. They feel it for their Mother when she tells them about one of Her dear flowers and when she laughs and pretends that they are a normal child who’s just really good at hiding themself.

They've felt a _lot._

In that tiny little moment when a tiny little sibling- _twin twin twin-_ that probably would mean much more than them reached out.

And they couldn’t do anything about it, only look, only accept the situation as it _were_ and move on without a second thought- _because they are not supposed to have that either._

The Light sung too sweetly for them to turn around, away from it, wholly. And they know that was a mistake, for that was one in the series of the many betrayals in their life that they've committed so boldly and so detachedly.

But the Light praised them for this decision. It gifted them a title, a purpose and corrected their standing in the world.

 _“You are a beautiful object; a sharp and bright weapon made out of the tears of monsters that lie beneath our world with only their eyes and fangs to grant any shine. You come from endless night, so you could slain the_ **_sickening_ ** _mistake of Moth’s doing.”_

Everyone calls them an it. And who- _what_ is it, to argue against their words?

It is an object. It is a weapon. It is not to feel, to think nor to sing, whisper, murmur or say a thing.

It does not accept this, for it does not have the will to make a decision.

It does not reject this, for it does not have the will to make a decision.

* * *

The little crimson that seems to adore it reaches out for it a lot.

The action makes their hidden, cold heart wail, because it reminds them of a time lost in past of someone small- ~~_twin, that was your twin-_ ~~ that reached out as well.

She, however, always displays an emotion that _it_ is not allowed to feel and the someone small was not able to show.

When _she_ reaches out to it, it’s more often than not with _laughter._

A laugh; to make the spontaneous sounds and movements of the face and body that are the instinctive expressions of lively amusement and sometimes also of derision. As dictionary commands while it, somehow, lets out a giggle of its own.

Her snickers come from underneath its cape often. She likes to hide there- she _loves_ to hide there. Especially when Father is searching for her. The sound is like gentle bells that caress the mind that it shouldn’t have and it puts its heart that it shouldn’t have to rest and calm.

It ~~_they_ ~~ likes it when she childishly laughs. It’s one of the most wonderful things ever.

Sometimes, she reaches out to them when she’s crying.

Cry; to shed tears, typically as an expression of distress, pain, or sorrow. As dictionary says while it weeps.

She cries when her chitin scrapes and breaks when she falls from her softly swaying web from somewhere above while it wasn’t looking. It’s sorry. It is sorry for not paying enough attention. It can’t say that, however, so instead it kneels next to her to keep guard, lets her huddle against it, until someone who _can_ will come around and help her.

She cries when she feels distress or sorrow, too. Especially when Herrah, Queen of Deepnest, her mother- ... _mother to them, too...? she looks at them so fondly...-_ leaves her in the Palace while one of her duties calls urgently. She cries, too, when Father hugs her with His many arms before He apologizes. He can’t stay for long and He explains why, but the so far unnamed child cannot understand that well yet.

It heard that she cries for it, too. It does not- it doesn't know how to feel, so it cannot answer her.

_That is a lie. They love her. They love her oh so much and they wish they could hug her and cradle her till the end of time or till all hurts decided to stop existing._

It, usually, _always,_ accepts her into its arms when she reaches out.

It is an unspoken promise, between the two. That whenever she cries and laughs and reaches out, it will take her hand no matter what.

~~_Because it cannot fail her just like it failed its twin._ ~~

* * *

They've come back…!

They've survived, they've fought, they've escaped… They've wandered and became a phantom in places both dead and living and…

And they've come back…

It watches the little something, as it enters the chamber it has been caught in for ages that it dares not to count. It watches as they, at first, don't look even _once_ at it. They just come in and break the chains.

One…

Two…

Three…

And… they've stopped.

There’s sadness lurking behind the darkness of their stare, it finds when they look up at it. It can sense it and it can see it, despite the light cruising through its brain and veins. The connection to the nothingness hardly falls.

And they reach out to it and… The chains holding it up rattle as its shoulders shake and attempt to sink, along with its giant head. It has failed _them,_ too. This time, it doesn't even have the _choice_ to fail in reaching after them and pulling them upwards into safety. Maybe because safety doesn't even _exist_ anymore. Maybe that's one of the reasons…

The tiny hand retreats and curls into a fist and trembles.

It looks up from the ground to see _why._ _Why_ does the little one hesitates?

Tears stream down their face. That's why. Are you so selfish as to take that away from them, too? Let them weep, they, at best, feel sorry for your failures and will put you to rest quickly enough-

It doesn't expect them to unfurl the wings they've so rightfully earned- it has seen it, it watched every step they took, whether it wanted to or not didn't matter. It had seen the entire journey.

They jump high- _not high enough, not far enough, they are going to fall, reach for them-_ and then they beat their wings once, because that is all they can do with the membranes for now. It sure that one day when it will be gone and they will be safe again, they'll become an amazing flyer.

Chains rattle, the spell of binding flares and _burns_ at the little one, but they _do not let go._ They cling to the metals holding it with all their might and _climb_ up to it. The goddess inside of it _screams._

_They can’t kill it this way, what are they doing, they have to- to break the fourth chain and then they can strike true, what are they-_

Small claws settle on its cheeks. Small hands run along its mask as far as they can reach. Small forehead settles against its even though it has to scorch them so so badly.

The other’s stare is determined. It’s reassuring and it feels safe and it can’t get enough of the promise of freedom that somehow rests in the nothingness of their not real eyes.

It feels itself crying. It- ~~_they_ ~~ are crying- it shouldn’t-

Whisper sneaks into its mind and gives it a moment of calm while it lasts. Despite the screech of the Light, it’s clearer than any day and more wonderful than all the stars it has ever seen.

It’s alright. We are going to be alright. We will be saved.

The little one tells it. And… then one sentence more- _it doesn't really understand why it has been spoken to it and it makes it cry even more-_ before they let go.

I love you.

**Author's Note:**

> *reluctantly says thank you to my depression for letting me write this*
> 
> I got this done this morning in like. Under an hour and man, was that a speedrun, but also *man*, am I happy with this,,,
> 
> Anyway, fuck game logic, we are givin Hollow a hug before the Final Fight


End file.
